1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to appliance garages for storing articles and having decorative side panels, and more particularly to such appliance garages in which the side panels may be attached to the garage appliance at several angles by means of an adapter component that is inserted between engagement projections on adjacent and aligned projections respectively located on a side panel and frame member of the appliance garage, thereby enabling the side panel to project substantially parallel to the frame member or perpendicular to it merely by inserting the adapter between the respective frame member and side panel projections or interconnecting the side panels directly to frame members.
2. Related Art
The following patents are believed to contain information material to the invention disclosed herein:
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,723, SIVIN; xe2x80x9cAdjustable Kitchen Appliance Garage: The shroud and the bottom unit of the garage both have corresponding angular corner pieces to form obtuse angles such that the unit can be positioned in the corner of a kitchen wall as well as on the kitchen wall. However, hinges mounted on each of the respective left and right walls of the garage respectively interconnect the left wall and a left hip, and the right wall and a right hip, to enable each of the third wall and the right wall to be rotated from a perpendicular position to the aforementioned obtuse position.
(2) U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,148; SCOTT; APPARATUS FOR HOLDING BOARDS IN THE MAKING OF FURNITURE
The holding apparatus 10 retains respective first and second rectangular boards in a predetermined orientation with respect to each other. FIG. 5 shows a modified embodiment of the holding apparatus 10 (adapter) in which one board 500 is at an obtuse angle to the other board 510, whereas in FIG. 2 the holding apparatus 10 (adapter) retains the respective boards 20 and 30 perpendicular to one another. However the holding apparatus (adapter) differs for each embodiment.
(3) Other patents, namely U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,840,440, 4,645,374, 4,619.547, 4,712,942 and 5,226,755 each relate to brackets, connector assemblies, etc. for connecting panels together and their respective constructions and relevancy to the subject adapter are believed to be evident from a consideration of the respective drawings in each of the patents.
Notwithstanding the above disclosures, there remains a need in the cabinetry art for improved means for attaching side panels to respective frame members to vary the angle of attachment of the side panels to the respective frame members as set forth herein.
The adapter of the present invention comprises a U-shaped first portion; a second portion extending at an angle of 45 degrees from the base of the first portion; and a projection extending at a 90 degree angle away from the second portion and 45 degrees from the base of the U-shaped first portion. Each upper side of a front panel spanning, for example, a tambour door of the appliance garage, includes a channel angled at 45 degrees to the front panel. A projection in each of the respective side panels engages a respective channel on each of the front panels thereby providing a side panel extending on each side of the garage at a 45 degree angle to the front panel.
Insertion of the angled projection of the adapter into a respective channel of each of a respective front panel and the U-shaped portion into an opposing channel in the side panel enables each of the respective side panels to extend perpendicular to the front panel of the garage.
The appliance garage of the present invention may employ a tambour door as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,937 and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
A primary object of the adapter of the invention is to enable a side panel to be easily connected to a garage at different angles; a feature of the adapter of the present invention is that it is simply inserted in respective opposing channels of the side panel and the front panel of the appliance garage; and an advantage of the adapter of the present invention is that it requires no modification of the side panel or the front panel of the garage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an adapter that is made of available wood or metal.
Another feature of the adapter of the present invention is that it is easily manufactured from a wood or metal product.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the adapter is not required to be made from a special type of wood or metal.
Another object of the adapter of the present invention is that it may be simply press fit into each of the respective channels of the side panel and front panel of the garage.
A feature of the present invention is that it does not require a special tool for insertion of the adapter into the respective channels of a side panel and a front panel.
An advantage of the adapter of the present invention is that it may be inserted by hand into the respective channels of the side and front panels.